The Effect of Quadrupole Fields on Particle Confinement in a Field-Reversed Mirror

A particle simulation code has been modified to simulate particle loss caused by quadrupole magnetic fields on a field-reversed mirror plasma device. Since analytic fields are chosen for the equilibrium, the numerical algorithm is highly accurate for long-time integrations of particle orbits. The resultant particle loss due to the quadrupole fields can be competitive with collisional loss in the device.